Botaby efg-ine



W. L. CAMPBELL.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-8,1919.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

W. L. CAMPBELL.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATIQN FILED JAN. 8. I919.

1",322, 1 62. Patented Nov. 18; 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

glwumtoz W. L. CAMPBELL.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION .FILED JAN-8,1919.

' Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

s suns-smirk UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. CAMPBELL, OF MELISSA,'TEXAS,

ASSIGNQR 0F ONE-FOURTE TO FRED BRIDGEFARMER AND ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN E. SCRIB'NER, BOTH OF MELISSA,

TEXAS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Nov. 18, 1919.

' Applicationfil'ed January 8, 1919. Serial No; 270,2Q4.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BELL,

L. CAMP- ence being-had to .the accompanying draw- This invention relates to engines, and particularly to rotary engines'using steam, compressed tive fluid.

The general object of my invention is to provide a rotary engine of av very simple and'compact character, which may be made extremely developed thereby.

A. further object is to provide means whereby the engine may be' readilystarted or stopped or reversed.

A still further so construct the engine that the power of the engine may be greatly increased or decreased and the stroke of the pistons increased or decreased correspondingly.

A further object is to so construct-the engine that power may be taken directly from the rotor without the use ofintermediate gearing.

And

cally lubricated while running.

Other objects relate to the details of construction andarrangements of parts, as will appear hereinafter.

panying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged 'fragmentary vertical by an annulus 26 which plates 17 and Band may be bolted thereto.

section on the line 33of'Fig- 1;

Fig. "I is a sectional view of theseveral cylinders and thehub of the cylinders;

Fig. -5 is: a'fragmentary vertical sectional view through" the hub and theadjustable pivot for the connecting rods;

Fig. 6 is' a section o'n the line 6- 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sect on on the-line 7-7 of a citizen of theUnited States, residing, at Melissa, in the county of Collin and State air, or other elastic fluid, as molight in proportion to the power part thereof. Preferably, this shaft object of the invention is to still another object is to provide means wherebythe engine may be automatltransmit power mechanism. It will be seen'from Fig. 3 of the drawlngs that the lower cross head '8 is a section onthe' line 8- -8 of Fig. 9 is a fragmentary face view of the port;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the base or guideway for the slide.

Referring to these drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, lOdesignates a base which may be of any suitable character and 11 designates uprights mounted upon the base and having bearings at their upperends for a transverse shaft 12 whirh, atone end, may be provided with a handle 13 of any character and which is screw threaded at its middle, as at 14.

Mounted upon the base 10 and extending upward therefrom is a centrally disposed,

fixed shaft 15 upon which the rotor revolves, this shaft 15 being formed with a base 16 which is attached to the base 10 in any suitable manner or may be formed as 15 is tapered above the base and may be provided with suitable bearings as, for instance, ball or other anti-friction bearings for the support ofthe rotor. The rotor consists of upper and lower disks 17 and 18 attached to or forming part of an annular hub 19, from which, extend a plurality of radially disposed cylinders 20, these cylinders being disposed between the disks 17 and 18 or formed as part of these disks: or attached thereto in any suitable manner; Each cylinder QOisclosed at its outer end, as at 21, this outer end being-provided with a stuffing boX through which passes the piston rod22' carrying a piston 23 operating within the cylinder. The outer end of each piston rod isconnected to a cross head 24 of the form illustrated in Fig. 8, this cross head operating in radially disposed cross head guides 25 illustrated as angular 1n form, and

7 attached to or formed as part of, or otherw1se connected to the upper and outer disks 17. The periphery of the rotor is formed ts between the This annulus'26 constitutes a rim for the rotor and may be used asa band wheel to from the rotor to the driven guides 25 aredisposed above the lower disk 18 to permit a pipe 27 or other duct to ex- "tend from the outer end of each cylinder 20 into the'hub 19 of the rotor.

Eachof the disks 17 is' radially'slott-e-d at its margin and a stud bolt 28 extends up from each cross head 24: through the corresponding slot 29, and to each stud bolt is pivoted a connecting rod 30. These coin necting rods may be of any suitable character and extend inward and are pivoted upon a stud 31 extending upward from a slide 32. This slide 32 is mounted upon a diametrically extending guide plate 33 having upwardly and inwardly extending guide flanges 3st which overhang and extend over the slide 32. The upper end of the stud 32 carries upon it a U-shaped yoke35, the two arms of which are screw threaded for engagement with the screw threaded rod 14, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. By rotating the screw shaft 12, the yoke 35 will be shifted diametrically across the center of the rotor and this will shift the slide 32 in its guides 3st. hen the slide 32 is in its central position relative to the periphery of the rotor, it is obvious that there will be no movement of the pistons whatever, but that as the slide is shifted into an eccentric relation with the rotor, reciprocation will be given to the pistons as the rotor revolves, but conversely that if the pistons are reciprocated by fluid pressure, a movement of rotation will be given to the rotor.

It is obvious also that the further the stud 31 is shifted from the away center of the rotor, the greater will be the stroke of the pistons and the nearer it is shifted to the center of the rotor, the less will be the stroke of the pistons, and it will be also obvious, assuming the slide has been shifted to one side of the center of the rotor with the rotor revolving in one direction, then if the slide be shifted across the center of the rotor to the opposite side, the rotor will be reversed in its movement.

For the purpose of permitting fluid to enter each cylinder in succession to force the piston therein outward and then permit the live fluid to be forced into the other end of the cylinder and the exhaust steam discharged, I form the central fixed shaft 15 with a lon itudinally extending inlet port 36 which extends longitudinally through the shaft or axis 15 and at its lower end extends laterally and is connected to a steam or air supply pipe 37 provided with a throttle valve 38. The central shaft 15, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, is formed oppositev the longitudinalaxes of the cylinders 20 with a pail-of oppositely disposed, arcuate channels 39 and 39 separated by an intermediate web 40. The port 36 at its upper end or its end opposite its connection to the pipe 37, is laterally extended into one of said channels 39 and intermediate the lower end of this duct 36 and the upper end of the duct, this port or duct 36 communicates with an arcuate channel 41. This vertical shaft is also provided with an exhaust duct 12' which extends longitudinally through the shaft and whose upper end is connected to the channel 39 and. to a channel 41 opposite the channel 41. The hub 19 of the rotor is formed at the inner end of each cylinder with a port 43 which will successively register with the channels 39 and 39 and this hub 19 is also formed with ports 4st, one for each cylinder, into which the pipes 27 from the several cylinders open, these ports 44: being adapted to register with the channels 41 and 11 as the rotor rotates. It will be seen from Fig. 3 that when one of the cylinders 20 has its pipe 27 in communication with the channel 11, the port 43 will be in communication with the channel 39, While another cylinder of the plurality of cylinders will be in communication through port with channel 39 and through pipe 27 with channel 41. Under these circumstances, live steam for one of the cylinders 20 will pass through the pipe 27 into the space behind the piston and force the piston inward while the exhaust passes out to the channel 39" and thence out through the exhaust duct 42, while at the same time live steam is passing from the steam duct 36 into the other cylinder through port 13 and channel 39 and exhaust is passing through the outer end of the same cylinder through pipe 27 to channel 41 and thence into the exhaust pipe 42. Thus with the arrangement illustrated, there are always two pistons receiving steam or other motive fluid and one piston idle wherein the parts are on a center as it may be termed. It will be obvious, as before remarked, that the stroke of the pistons depends upon the eccentricity of the stud 31, to which connecting rods are pivoted and that when the stud 31 is disposed concentric to the fixed shaft or hearing 15, no reciprocation of the pistons will occur. For the purpose of adjusting the slide 33, I provide the screw threaded rod or shaft 12, but in order to steady the movement of the engine and hold the slide 33 in its adjusted position, I make the stud 3% annular, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and dis pose in the central passage of this stud the vertical reciprocating pin d5 which, as illustrated in Fig. 5, is operatively connected to a bell crank lever 46 pivotally mounted upon the yoke '35, and which is connected by a rod 47 which extends over and through one of the parts 11 and is provided with any suitable handle. The bottom of the track or slideway 33 is formed with a plurality of notches 4:8, as shown in Fig. 10, these notches being adapted to receive the lower end of the pin and this pin 45, as shown in Fig. 6, is formed with one or more longitudinally extending oil ducts 49. The top of the stud 31 has a port 50 connected to an oil cup 51 so that oil-may flow downward from this oil cup through the duct 49 and through the slide 33 into the notches 48. These notches are connected by means of channels 52 with oil ports 53 which extend through the bottom of the slideway 33, as shown in Fig. 5, to ducts 54 which extend downward in the fixed shaft or axis 15 and then laterally and at certain times discharge into upward extensions 55 of the ports 43. Now these oil ducts 53 are disposed in a plane at right angles to the plane of the ducts 36 and d2. In other words, the ports 50 open upon the webs 4:0 which divide the channels 39 and 39 from'each other. As a consequence, as the rotor moves aroiuid the fixed central shaft or axis, the upward extensions 55 of ports 43 will register with and pass over the ports 54 and will receive oil therefrom and then as the rotor moves to carry the ports 43:3 into alinement with the chambers or channels 39 or 39, the inrushing steam or other motive fluid will carry inward the small globule of oil deposited in the extensions and the oil will be distributed in the interior of the cylinder, reciprocating the cylinder and the piston.

It is to be understood that one of the ports 53 is active when the engine is moving in one direction and is inactive when the rotor is moving in the other direction, as if both ports were active at all times then while one cylinder was sucking in oil, the other would be blowing it out with the exhaust.

The operation of this motor will be obvious from what has gone before, but attention is called again to the advantages of the motor. It will be seen that it is very light, very simple, and that inasmuch as the ports are opened and closed by the rotation of the rotor around the central fixed axis or shaft that there is no complicated valve mechanism to get out of OIdBlX. Furthermore, the power developed by the motor may be at all times-readily controlled in accordance with the amount of load on the engine. Thus an engine constructed in accordance with my invention is adapted to be used for a great many difierent purposes and where the load is constantly changing. Thus the same engine may be used for driving a great number of different mechanisms and the engine may have a large range of power. This engine obviates the necessity of using a tenhorse power engine, for instance, to drive a mechanism where three-horse power or onehorse power would be amply sutlicient. It will, therefore, be obvious thatthe range of usefulness of the engine is very great. I have described the engine as if the rotor was designed to revolve in a horizontal plane, but it is to be understood that the rotor may rotate in a vertical plane or, any other plane just as easy. The engine may be driven either by compressed air, steam, or other fluid pressure and it is obvious that by a prope arrangement of valves, the engine might. be used as aninte'rnal combustion engine. It is further obvious that the mechanism can be used as a pump if it is driven by a suitable motor and that then theadjustment of thepin or stud 31 will change the stroke of the pump pistons and thus control'the amount discharged by the pump; It is obvious also, as before stated, that the engine may be readily reversed 'WlthOllt shifting any valves and without placing any strain upon the moving parts of. the engine.

I claim 1. A rotary engine including a fixed bearing, a rotor mounted for rotation on said bearing and including a web, a plurality of radially directed cylinders disposed in conjunction with the web, pistons operating in said-cylinders, a plurality of radially extending connecting rods, members operatively connecting the outer ends of the connecting rods to the pistons, the web being radially slotted at a plurality of points for the passage of said connecting members, a member to which the inner ends of all of said connecting rods are pivoted, and means for adjustably shifting said member diametrically across the center of rotation of the rotor to thereby adjust the eccentricity of said member relative to the rotor and thereby control the stroke of the pistons, said web being providedwith a peripheral wall whereby power may be taken from the rotor.

2. A rotary engine including a rotor having a plurality of radially disposed cylinders, pistons operating in the several cylinders and having piston rods, connecting rods each pivotally connected to one of said piston rods, the connecting rods extending inwardly, a member to'which' the inner ends of all of the connecting rods are pivoted, and means for shifting said member diametrically across the center of rotation of the rotor.

3. A rotary engine includinga fixed hearing, a rotor mounted for rotation on said bearing and having a plurality of radially directed cylinders, pistons operating in said cylinders, a plurality of radially extending connecting, rods operatively connected at their outer ends to said pistons, a member to which the inner ends of all of said connecting rods are pivoted, means for'adjust ably shifting said member diametrically across the center of rotation of the rotor to thereby adjust the eccentricity of said member relative to the rotor and control the stroke of the pistons, each cylinder being provided with a pair ofports communicating withoppositeends of the cylinder and the bearing being provided with inlet and exhaust ductsv with which said ports are adapted to alternately connect.

4. A rotary engine including a rotor having a pair of parallel'disk-s, a central am nulus, a plurality of cylinders disposed be tween the disks and extending from said central annulus, a bearing upon which the annulus rotates, pistons in the several cyl inders having piston rods, connecting rods pivotally connected at their outer ends to the piston rods, a member to which all of said connecting rods are pivoted, means for shifting said member diametrically across the center of rotation of the rotor from one side of said center to the other and holding said memberlocked in adjusted position, and means for alternately admitting motive fluid to opposite ends of the cylinder and discharging exhaust motive fluid alternately from opposite ends of each cylinder.

5. A, rotary engine including a rotor, a bearing upon which the rotor is mounted and supporting a slideway extending diametrically of the rotor, a. slide mounted upon said slideway, a plurality of cylinders carried by the rotor, pistons operating therein and having piston rods, a plurality of connecting rods pivoted at their outer ends to said piston rods and at their inner ends to said slide, and means for shifting the slide diametrically across the rotor including a screw threaded shank which engages said slide.

A rotary engine including a centrally disposed bearing, a rotor having a central annulus mounted on the bearing and provided with a plurality of radiating cylinders, the bearing extending through the annulus and rotor, a slideway mounted-upon the bearing and extending diametrically across the rotor, a slide mounted in said slideway and having a stud extending parallel to the axis of the bearing, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods, connecting rods pivotally connected to the outer ends of the piston rods and all pivotally connected to said stud, a yoke mounted on the stud, a rod having screw threads extending diametrically across the plane of rotation of the rotor and with which said yoke engages, the annulus being formed to provide a pair of longitudinally displaced ports for each cylinder, the ports being respectively connected to opposite ends of each cylinder, the bearing being formed to provide a pair of channels with which certain ports of the several cylinders intermittently register, and channels with which the other ports of the cylinders intermittently register, and the bearing being formed to provide an inlet duct opening into certain of said channels and a discharge duct opening into certain of said channels.

7 A rotary engine including a central bearing, a rotor mounted on said bearing and including an annulus, upper and lower disks attached thereto and spaced from each other, radiating cylinders disposed between the disks, and a peripheral rim attached to the disks, one of said disks being slotted, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods extending through said slots, connecting rods pivotally connected to the outer ends of the piston rods, cross heads operating in said slots and forming the connecting means between the connecting rods and the piston rods, a slideway supported upon the central bearing, a slide mounted in said slideway and having a stud to which the several connecting rods are pivoted, and means for shifting said slideway diametrically across the axis of the rotor, the annulus and the central bearing being formed to provide inlet and outlet ports and ducts.

8. A rotary engine including a central bearing, a rotor mounted upon said bearing for rotating therearound and including an annulus and radiating cylinders, a slideway mounted on the bearing, a slide mounted in the slideway, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods, connecting rods pivoted to the piston rods and to the slide, means for shifting the slide, means for lubricating the several cylinders including a lubricant duct extending through the slide, and a pair of ducts extending through the bearing and opening upon the outer face thereof and with which said duct in the slide is adapted to communicate in any position of the slide, the rotor being formed with ports entering the cylinders and having extensions adapted in the rotation of the rotor to register with said lubricant ducts in the bearing.

9. A rotary engine including a centrally disposed bearing, a rotor mounted thereon having a central annulus surrounding the bearing, cylinders radiating from the annulus, spaced plates or disks between which the cylinders are disposed, one 01": said disks being slotted, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods, radially shittable cross heads slidingly mounted in said slots and to which the piston rods are connected, connecting rods pivoted to said cross heads, a slideway mounted upon the bearing and extending diametrically of the rotor, a slide mounted in said slideway and having a stud to which the connecting rods are pivoted, means for shifting said slide along the slideway, and means for holding the slide in its shifted position including a pin passing through the slide, the slideway being formed with notches with which said pins are adapted to engage, and manually operable means for shifting the pin out of its engagement with a notch to permit the shift ing of the slide.

10. A rotary engine including a centrally disposed bearing, a rotor mounted thereon having a central annulus surrounding the bearing, cylinders radiating from the annulus, spaced plates or disks between which the cylinders are disposed, one of said disks being slotted, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods, radially shiftable cross heads slidingly mounted in said slots and to which the piston rods are connected, connecting rods pivoted to said cross heads, a slideway mounted upon the bearing and extending diametrically of the rotor, a slide mounted in said slideway and having a stud to which the connecting rods are pivoted, means for shifting said slide along the slideway, means for holding the slide in its shifted position including a pin passing through the slide, the slideway being formed with notches with which said pins are adapted to engage, manually operable means for shifting the pin out of its engagement with a notch to permit the shifting of the slide, and means for lubricating the cylinders comprising a channel formed in the locking pin and having communication with a source of oil, ducts formed in the central bearing and opening upon the upper face of the slideway and with which said channels in the pins are adapted to register, said ducts in the bearing opening upon the periphery of the bearing, each cylinder being formed with a port having an extension, the extension being adapted to register with the ends of said ducts as the cylinders rotate about the hearing.

11. A rotary engine including a centrally disposed bearing, a rotor mounted thereon including an annulus having radiating cylinders, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods, a relatively fixed member disposed adjacent the center of rotation of the rotor, connecting rods pivoted to said relatively fixed member and operatively con nected to the piston rods, the annulus of the rotor being formed to provide a pair of ports for each cylinder longitudinally displaced with relation to each other, the ports being connected respectively to the outer and inner ends of the corresponding cylinder,

the central bearing being formed to provide two pairs of oppositely disposed channels longitudinally displaced with relation to each other, a duct connecting diagonally opposite channels with an inlet port and a duct connecting the other diagonally opposite channels with an outlet port.

12. A rotary engine including a centrally disposed bearing, a rotor mounted thereon including an annulus having radiating cylinders, pistons operating in the cylinders and having piston rods, a relatively fixed member disposed adjacent the center of rotation of the rotor, connecting rods pivoted to said relatively fixed member and operatively connected to the piston rods, the annulus of the rotor being formed to provide a pair of ports for each cylinder longitudinally displaced with relation to each other, the ports being connected respectively to the outer and inner ends of the corresponding cylinder, the central bearing being formed to provide two pairs of oppositely disposed channels longitudinally displaced with relation to each other, a duct connecting diagonally opposite channels with an inlet port and a duct connecting the other diagonally opposite channels with an outlet port, the central hearing at its upper end being also provided with two ducts opening upon the face of the bearingand longitudinally displaced with relation to the adjacent channels in the bearing, said ducts communicating with a source of oil and one of said ducts being rendered active and the other inactive when the rotor is rotating in one direction and vice versa, and one of the ports for each cylinder having an extension adapted to register with said oil duct in the central bearing.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

FREDERIG B. VVRrGHT, J. O. SCRIBNER. 

